Orangeburg County, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

A pawnbroker looking to open in unincorporated Orangeburg County has exactly one zoning option. Section 2.3, Table 1 of the Zoning Ordinance lists "Pawn Shops" under NAICS code 522298 and marks the use "P," permitted by right, only in the CG (Commercial General) column; every other column, RS, RG, RO, CN, BI, FA and RC, carries an "N," meaning the use is not permitted there at all. Under Section 2.2, a "P" means the use is allowed as of right in that district provided it complies fully with all applicable development standards of the Ordinance, so a pawn shop sited on a CG-zoned parcel still has to meet the district's other standards, including off-street parking. Table 1 sets that parking requirement at one space per 350 square feet of gross floor area, the same ratio applied to banks, credit unions and most other small retail and financial-service uses in the table.

Before opening, the business must obtain a Certificate of Zoning Compliance from the Zoning Administrator under Section 9.10, confirming the location and use match the zoning district and Table 1 before a building permit or certificate of occupancy is issued. A pawnbroker that instead sets up in a district where Table 1 marks the use "N," such as the Commercial Neighborhood (CN) or Business/Industrial (BI) districts, is operating an unpermitted use even without any other zoning violation.